Could your slumber benefit from sleep sounds? Many people like to have some background noise (called “white noise”) going on in the bedroom when they try to sleep, especially if it’s extremely quiet outside or if there are competing noises that can keep them awake, like a barking dog or loud neighbors. Sleep sound possibilities include artificial falling rain, a rushing brook, tropical birds, a soft breeze, tinkling wind chimes, and low flute music, among many others. Gentle music from Native Americans, Irish or Celtic, and Eastern European musicians are some of the favorite sleep sounds used by sleep-hungry people today.

How do you use sleep sounds for healthier slumber? The following tips can help you integrate sleep sounds of various types into your nighttime routine.

Choose soothing sounds.

Everyone has favorite sounds that lull them into a ready-to-sleep phase, while other sounds no matter how soothing to others, may grate on their nerves and keep them awake. Decide which type of sounds you want to fall asleep to, such as croaking frogs, a thunderstorm, or a strong wind rustling leaves. Buy a CD recording of your favorites, or download them from the Internet. If you prefer music, select background cuts that are quiet and easy to listen to instead of anything with a lilting beat or a strong percussion flavor. Avoid heavy metal music or metrical classical favorites, which have been shown to stimulate the heart and brain.

Set up an easy-to-use sound system in your bedroom.

Whether you use a CD player, boom box, or cassette player, check it before going to bed to make sure it works. You don’t want to be ready to fall asleep, only to find that the player starts skipping or makes a fuzzy sound. Find out how long your musical tape will last, and then start it just when you are ready to sleep. If you tend to lie awake or toss and turn before dozing off, give yourself time to do this before turning on the music.

Consider using a sleep sound machine.

A sleep sound machine comes in many styles. Some have pre-recorded nature sounds geared just for adults or babies in a range of audio levels. You can get some sleep sound machines with a timer that will automatically shut off the machine after 30 or 60 minutes. Others have a built-in alarm clock as an added feature for those who want to rise at a certain time. These machines are designed specifically to help people sleep as opposed to be entertained by music or sounds, although you can certainly listen to them if you wish. Make sure you get the best machine for your intended purpose.

Experiment with soothing sleep sounds.

After using the same sound (or set of sounds) over several months or years, you may find it harder to go to sleep with it, as your body acclimates to the customary sounds.

It could be helpful to adjust the volume, set the player unit at a different distance from the bed, or choose a new set of nature sounds or music types to put you to sleep. Just because the effectiveness of one type of sleep sound wears off, don’t assume you can’t find another to take its place. One type of sleep sound machine could sound tinny to your ear, and if so, you should consider getting another or at least listening to a model on display at the store before buying one.

Try a sleep sound generator.

A sleep sound generator provides a steady rush of air to function as background noise or “white noise” and blot out other aural distractions. Some sound generators are similar to a sleep sound machine and offer your choice of 10 or more sounds at the touch of a button, and may include sounds like a heartbeat, a waterfall, or ocean waves. These sounds may be adjusted for daytime or nighttime use, depending on your particular need.

Make your own soothing sounds for sleep.

If you don’t like the artificial sounds of sleep sound generators or sleep sound machines, you can always arrange your own personal background noise to cover any other sounds that may be keeping you awake at night or waking up a napping toddler.

Running a humidifier or dehumidifier can make a room’s temperature more comfortable while providing low-level background noise. A window fan is another popular choice, in addition to regular listening music mentioned previously. There are some people who like falling asleep to a television set turned on, and they often wake up abruptly when someone turns off the set.

Tune in to your home and neighborhood natural sleep sounds.

Either before or after purchasing a recorded series of sleep sounds to help you sleep, give an ear to the sounds in your home that might help you doze off. For example, if you don’t want a television set in the bedroom, maybe a TV in another room can be turned up a bit so you can hear it just enough to put you to sleep. If the neighbors frequently go swimming late at night in their pool, their distant sounds of splashing and murmuring may send you to dreamland without further effort. Try opening the bedroom window (using a security device to prevent robberies) and listen to the outdoor sounds nearby, like an evening bird or the breeze blowing past.

Sleep sounds can make a difference to how well people go to sleep and stay there. Since most of us experience lots of daytime noises like machinery, vehicles, voices, radios, televisions, phones, and a host of others, we’re used to living in sound-encased worlds. Lacking sound at night in an exceptionally quiet environment, we may feel awkward and out of place, making it difficult to sleep.

Another problem is living in an urban environment where chronic noise interferes with the body’s need for quietude in which to repose. Loud or recurrent noises can be stressful to the body, and sleep is one of the few ways in which we can escape the man-made society that is filled with everyday sounds that can rob us of peace and sanity.

Just as a vaccination of a small dose of an actual disease can protect us from getting a full-blown case of the illness, so can small doses of sound insulate us from the pervasive noises all around us, day or night. If we are unable to block out common noises that prevent us from falling into a healthful sleep, we can get help from mechanical devices that shoot a rush of air into the room to muffle other sounds, or one that plays music or nature sounds that can ease our bodies into a subconscious state.

The next time you’re having a hard time falling asleep, consider arranging some noise of your own for the bedroom, or check out one of the popular sleep sound machines on the market today. Sleep sounds are all around us, for good or for ill. It’s up to us to harness them to arrange a sound-effective environment that will lead to deep, consistent sleep.

Do You Have A Balanced Lifestyle?A balanced lifestyle means that no one aspect of life overshadows the others. Health, career, and relationships are all important and are all maintained on a regular basis. Someone who is balanced takes time to exercise, but not at the expense of important family events. Are you the center of the scale or is one aspect of your life taking over the rest? Take our quiz and find out!